Lesotho is the longest-standing beneficiary of Ireland’s aid programme. Lesotho is a small country of just 2 million people in southern Africa and is completely landlocked by its sole neighbour, South Africa. The economy of Lesotho is based on limited agricultural production and light manufacturing, particularly textiles, supplemented by declining remittances from Lesotho miners working in South Africa. A major challenge for Lesotho and its development partners is that over half the population lives on less than US$2 a day and income inequality is among the highest in the world.

Decades of development gains have been lost in recent years due to HIV and AIDS and efforts to reduce poverty and improve living standards have been severely undermined. The HIV and AIDS prevalence rate in Lesotho at 23.2% is the second highest in the world.

Ireland provides development assistance to Lesotho in a number of ways. In 2007 €9 million in bilateral development assistance was provided to Lesotho. The bilateral programme focuses on five sectors: HIV and AIDS, Education, Health, Rural Water and Sanitation, and Governance. In addition Ireland also provided €3.7 million to support the Lesotho Department of Health’s partnership with the Clinton Foundation to respond to the HIV and AIDS pandemic. Ireland has also provided €60,000 since 2006 to support the development work of Irish Missionaries in Lesotho.

Irish Aid's Work in Lesotho

Programme Summary
Bilateral Aid to Lesotho in 2007: €9 million
Population: 2.0 million
2007/8 HDI rank: 138th

Established in 1975, Lesotho is Ireland’s longest running bilateral programme.  The programme is administered by the Embassy of Ireland, which is based in Maseru.

Irish Aid’s bilateral support is governed by a Country Strategy Paper, which is agreed with the Lesotho government.  The current programme covers the period 2005-2007. A new programme for the period 2008-2012 is currently being designed and will be completed in mid-2008. The current bilateral programme focuses on five sectors: HIV and AIDS, Education, Health, Rural Water and Sanitation, and Governance. The programme has a clear poverty focus with particular attention paid to rural communities located in the remote mountain districts of the country where poverty is most acute.
HIV and AIDS

Lesotho has one of the highest rates of HIV and AIDS infections in the world. UNAIDS estimates that the HIV prevalence rate for those aged between 15 and 49 is 23.2%.  The HIV and AIDS pandemic in Lesotho has contributed to deepening poverty, a major skills shortfall and rapidly increasing pressure on household incomes in already poor communities.

Tackling HIV and AIDS continues to be a high priority for Irish Aid in Lesotho. The approach is a comprehensive one, which places equal emphasis on preventing the spread of the pandemic and on the care and treatment of those who have fallen victim to the virus. Irish Aid is supporting the work of UNAIDS who are assisting the National AIDS Commission to develop an urgently needed national HIV and AIDS policy and strategy. Irish Aid is also supporting civil society organisations whose efforts are focused on addressing the drivers of the pandemic including weak prevention, migrant labour, and gender inequality. In 2007 Irish Aid spent €1.1 million to support efforts to tackle the HIV and AIDS pandemic in Lesotho.

HIV and AIDS and the Clinton Foundation

Irish Aid is also supporting the Lesotho Ministry of Health in its partnership with the Clinton Foundation. The Clinton Foundation is supporting the Ministry to improve its HIV and AIDS services in the most remote and isolated areas of the country through refurbishing clinics, improving drug procurement and management systems, recruiting and providing training to health workers and in ensuring that HIV treatment is increasingly available for children. In 2007 Irish Aid spent €3.7 million in support of this programme.

Education

Ireland has been the leading donor in the education sector in Lesotho for over 30 years. In 2007 Irish Aid supported the Lesotho Ministry of Education in its work to improve the quality of basic education by providing staffing support for the Ministry, funding the provision of learning materials and assisting the Ministry in providing HIV and AIDS awareness training to both teachers and pupils. Irish Aid spent €2.4 million on support to the Education sector in 2007.

Health

Improving access to good health care is a key component of Irish Aid’s work in Lesotho. In 2007 Ireland continued to support the Lesotho Ministry of Health’s sector reform programme. Irish Aid is also supporting the work of the Christian Health Association of Lesotho (CHAL), an NGO which provides health services to approximately 40% of the population. Irish Aid spent €1.1 million on support to the Health sector in 2007.

Rural Water and Sanitation

Irish Aid has been supporting the rural water and sanitation sector in Lesotho through the Department of Rural Water Supply in the Ministry of Natural Resources since 1987.  This partnership has helped provide water and sanitation facilities to the most remote villages in the highland areas of Lesotho. Irish Aid spent €2.5 million on support to this sector in 2007.

Governance

Irish Aid is supporting the government of Lesotho’s Public Sector Improvement Reform Programme which is providing training in financial management and procurement to employees in the public sector. Irish Aid is providing support to the Office of the Ombudsman and to the Independent Electoral Commission.  Irish Aid is also funding training workshops on budget monitoring to encourage Civil Society to take on a more proactive oversight and advocacy role in the area of governance. Irish Aid provided €1.7 million to fund initiatives in this sector in 2007.

Misean Cara (formerly known as the Irish Missionary Resource Service)

Irish missionaries carry out development work in some 90 countries. The dedicated work of these missionaries continues to have a strong resonance with the Irish people. Irish Aid provides funding to Irish missionaries through Misean Cara.  Since 2006, Misean Cara has provided  €60,000 to support the development work of Irish missionaries in Lesotho.